Christmas Eve
by Yumichi
Summary: IchigoxRukia: It's Christmas Eve, and rukia isn't there with him... Sequel of sorts to Last Christmas. Douzo!


**Christmas Eve**

Ichigo x Rukia story

Disclaimer: Sadly to say, I do not own bleach. Not the anime, manga, or the merchandise. I also do not own the song Christmas Eve, written by one very talented Alan O'Day.

A/N: This is a sequel of sorts to Last Christmas… enjoy! (I'm sorry if it doesn't really make much sense… T.T) Douzo!

There, alone in his room, Ichigo tried to remember her face. That -_what's the word-_ seriousness that shows up on her face when he does something stupid to piss her off. That confused look when she first saw the delights of the human world, like that time she went to school and discovered the juice box. It was frustrating that he had gotten to go home, without her. She chose to stay, but why?

_All alone I watch the quiet rain  
Wonder if it's gonna snow again  
Silent night, Holy night_

Ichigo walked to his closet, and reminisced the first time he found her in the closet, surprised. He let his hand run across the hidden bed, over the pillow, where she would lay her head after a tough day fighting hollows. He also missed those ridiculous fights about her drawings about hollows and souls, visualized with bunnies. _They weren't actually all bad, but come on, I'm a _guy._ I can't let her know I _actually _don't mind them. _He shook his head. His eyes landed on the neatly folded pajamas on the pillow. _I miss her._

I was praying you'd be here with me  
But Christmas Eve ain't what it used to be  
Silent night, Holy night  


It was Christmas Eve, but the weather was still warm enough for it to rain. If only she was here. He remembered the time she looked outside after the first spring rainfall.

"_Ne, Ichigo? What's that colourful thing in the clouds?" she pointed out to the sky near the horizon._

"_It's called a _rainbow._" He was looking at her. Studying her face, that expression of frustration appeared again._

"_Why is it there… Can you touch it?" She was flustered by all this - can you call it, _newness?_ -of the human world._

"_It's there after it rains, and _no_, you can't touch it."_

"_Oh." She sighed. She did want to touch it. She looked disappointed. He caught that look at once. He heaved a sigh._

"_But there's this legend, that leprechauns keep a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Maybe if you're good, I'll take you out and look for it when it rains again." He blushed slightly._

_She beamed. "Ok."_

She got captured, back to soul society before she could see the rain again. The rain stopped, and the sky was clearing up. He put his hand outside his window to feel the breeze. He didn't seem to notice the shadow that stood at his doorway, staring at him.

"Ne, Rukia, the rainbow's out. You remember how I promised I'd take you fine the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? If you come back, I'll take you now, but hurry, it's going to disappear if you don't." He yelled for a bit, then it became softer and softer, until he was silent. He really missed her, a lot in fact. He plopped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes to stop the tears. He felt something tap him on the shoulder.

_  
If you were beside me  
Then I could hear angels  
And I'd give you rainbows  
For Christmas  
_

He opened his eyes, to find one crouched down Rukia, teary-eyed. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

"Why are you back?" He sat up to get a better look at the image. She was wearing the dress Ishida had made her, with a bunny backpack hanging loosely on her back. She was holding a white lily in her hand.

"It's because I asked onii-sama to let me come for Christmas. I have to go back once the sun rises." She was truly happy to see him again, but she had a weary look on her face.

"Baka Rukia, if you were going to leave," He looked away, to hide his tears. "You shouldn't have come back."

She stood up. "Well, it's not like I came back _just_ to see you, you know! If I'd known you were going to be so, so… _rude_ about it, then you're right, I _shouldn't_ have come back." She was on the verge of tears. She had gone to all that trouble to come back, and yet, he didn't want to see her? _Well, I didn't come back _just_ to see him, at least, _not really _I think._

_She_ crossed her arms across her petite frame, and was about to walk out of his room, when Ichigo grabbed her hand, and pulled her into a bear hug. Her tears flowed freely down her face as she hugged him back.

_  
Somewhere far away the sleighbells ring  
I remember when we used to sing  
Silent night, Holy night  
_

"Baka, that's not what I mean…" He let go of her to look at her, into her beautiful eyes.

"Then what _do_ you mean?" She frowned.

"I mean that…" He didn't know how to say it. He took a deep breath. "What I mean is that, if you leave me, I don't think I could handle it. Don't you think leaving me once was enough?" He didn't want her to leave, but he didn't know how to put his feelings into meaningful words. Her face softened yet again, to that confused look.

_  
I keep you inside me  
Oh the truth is unspoken  
So my heart won't be broken  
On Christmas  
_

"I don't think I understand." Rukia Frowned

"Ok. You know how I asked you if you were going to come back, and you said "no?" Deep down, I wanted you to come back. I wanted you to come _home_ with me."

"I- didn't know, I mean, I did, but--" He cut her off.

"I love you. I always have, I always will. I just can't _bear_ the thought of you leaving me for the third consecutive time." He looked at her, silently pleading her to stay with him.

The sun had gone down, and the streetlights lit the dark blue sky. Christmas lights decorated most every house, and tree in the city, which made everything twinkle, further lighting up the heavens. She didn't have to think another second about what to do. She took his face into her hands, and kissed him.

"I love you too." She pulled him into another hug. "I just want to stay like this for tonight, ok?" He nodded, and he pulled her closer into his chest.

_  
They lit the trees along the avenue  
Twinkling silver with a touch of blue  
Silent night, Holy night  
_

Ichigo awoke to find Rukia gone. _So she did leave._ He sighed, and sluggishly got up and walked downstairs. The Kurosaki clinic was bejeweled with lights and tinsel and Ishiin even went all out and ornamented a Christmas tree. Ichigo walked downstairs, thinking that no one was awake, but he was surprised to find his family all up, sitting at the table eating breakfast, _with Rukia. _He was bemused, and walked over to the table.

"I thought you were leaving!" He yelled, startling his family and Rukia in the moment.

"Oni-sama told me to do that, so that he could truly hear with his own ears. And plus, I wanted to hear it." She smiled, and put a forkful of egg into her mouth.

"You _lied_ to me! I'm going to _KILL_ YOU!" He chased her around the table.

"Well, you'll- be- happy to know, that you father said I could stay!" She said the sentence between laughs, as Ichigo tickled her on the floor.

_  
All alone I watch the quiet rain  
Wonder if it's gonna snow again  
Silent night, Holy night  
_

"Hey, you guys mind? It's Christmas morning and you've already ruined my appetite." Karin stated. She pushed her plate away.

"Oh! I'm SO GLAD Ichigo FINALLY got a girlfriend!" His father was wiping at his tears with a hanky, dancing around the room. "I can rest in peace, knowing my son won't be a bachelor ALL HIS LIFE! Oh daughter-in-law!" Ishiin hugged Rukia, until she was purple.

Ichigo kicked his father. "What are you TALKING about! Who says I'm going to marry _this_ thing?" He pointed at her, while glaring at his nostalgic father.

"Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Rukia crossed her arms.

"I mean, ugh, I don't have to explain myself."

"So you're _admitting_ you're GOING to _marry _her?" His father's eyes lit up.

"No! That's not, I mean... I GIVE UP!" He threw his arms into the air. They all calmed down, and started to open Christmas presents. Ichigo watched Rukia open a present her sister had made from before she left. He didn't care about what he got, because he had already got the best present in the world the day before.

His prayers were answered, and Ichigo was happy again.

_  
I was praying you'd be here with me  
But Christmas Eve ain't what it used to be  
Silent night, Holy night_


End file.
